This is the Weirdest Piece of Produce in Rochester

We were running some quick errands last weekend and happened to stop at a grocery store where we don't always shop when I spotted it: the strangest-looking, weirdest piece of produce I'd ever seen. Do you know what it is?

CSJ/TSM-Rochester

We spotted this baby in the produce department at Cub Foods last weekend and I had no idea just what the heck it actually is. Which is a little odd, because, well, hey-- I love food. And because my wife and I tend to watch a lot of cooking shows (where they use all these weird ingredients) on the Food Network, there aren't too many fruits or vegetables with which I'm not that familiar.

Except for this one, that is. Check out that picture. Do you know what it is?!? It looks like something from outer space, if you ask me. And those spiky horn-like things sure aren't very appetizing, are they?

Well, it turns out that funky fruit is actually something called a 'kiwano' or horned melon. I wasn't brave enough to buy one, so I did a little research. Parade.com says that when a kiwano is all orange and spiky like that, it's ripe and ready to eat. Which apparently is no easy task. Check out their instructions on how to eat one:

"Gently squeeze one half until the slime-covered seeds ooze out. The seeds aren’t harmful to eat, but many people prefer to hold the seeds between their teeth and suck off the green flesh."

Slimed-covered seeds?!? Suck off the green flesh?!? Gee, that sounds great! Although the site said you can also scoop out the inner fruit to use in salads or as a garnish, I think I'll pass. What about you-- have you ever tried a kiwano?